Trolley-splice.



E. HEYDON. TROLLEY SPLIGE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20,1912.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

@ZAM

, eventually causes a come distorted by the passing of the trolley" v ley splices have been provided, and some of- Y nal groove 13 of trolley wire 14. "At the inner end of each Indianapolis, State of Indiana,`

engaging a threaded hole 17 transverse to EDWARD HEYDON, or-rnnranaiiotrs, 1in3mini'.v

l .TRoLLnYfs'rLIcri-j y ySpecification of'Letters'iIateiit. applicati@fined April 21o, 1912. serial No. 692,081.2

Patented Aug. 2o, i912.,

To all whom/t may concerni- Be it' known that I, EDwnD'HEYDoN, a citizen ofi the United lStates, residing .at

in the county of Marion'antl have invented a new and useful Trolley-Splice, of 'whi'chV the' ifollowing is a specification. u .l a v It is Anecessary `in` splicing trolley Wire.s that the trolley-engaging surface' of the wire and of the splice be as nearly/smoothas pos-' sible, as any unevenness caus'e's'a pounding?- as the trolley Wheelv or collector passes,` and the pounding, byb crystallizing the metal, fracture. Moreover, the smooth undersurface of the trolley wireand splice should remainsmooth, .and 'not bewheels or collector. While numbers of trol them have initially presented afairly smooth 'under surface, it ismy experience that even these in 'a short time become uneven at certain points. The weakest point, and the one where the -main unevenness. occurs, is ywhere the wire Vturns up through the splice.

It is the objec't 4of my invention to improvethe structure of" trolley splices and especially to strengthen this weak point.

The novel features of my invention will appear Lfrom the descriptions and drawings,

and will be particularly pointed out in the claims. i i l' In the drawings, Figure 1-is a side elevation, partly in longitudinal section, of a trolley splice embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom view of -such splice; and Figs. 3 and 4v are sections respectively, on the lines 3-3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1.

From the central part 10 of my improved trolley splice project oppositely extending arms 11, which gradually diminish in cross sectionl as they recede from the central part. From each side of each arm 11 depends a longitudinal flangey 12 forming a longitudiproper -shape to receive a arm 11 the groove 13 opens into a hole 15 extending obliquely upward through the central part 10 and of proper size and shape to fit thek wire 14, the wire being held in place in the hole by a clamping screw 16 the hole 15. "The upper face of the groove 13 is rounded at 18 where it turns from the horizontal into theoblique hole 15, so as to lectora prevent-.the trolley wire from beingy weakened by a sharp bend. The trolley wire 14 flits around the curyed surface 18, its'lower side leaving lan open space between lthe Vline 1s-bentupward andthe center uport-ion 10.

It vis this lopenfspace'which has caused most of the bottom of thel trolley wire before it of the trouble injt'rolley' splices-heretofore used, for it is necessary to lill"it"suhstany tially completely in order toavoid pounding and the consequent crystallization of the trolley wire. flfthis open space is not filled completely, upward` Abypassing trolley-wheels or col? produces 'thefpounding .which eventually results inthe breaking this open space, I provide each an'ge''l'Q' at its endtoward the middleportion 10 with a lug 20 which-extends toward a similar lug on the cooperating ange 12. The 4surfaces the partial' filling will be forced'l thus creating 'a surface hollow which' ofthe wire. To fill of these two lugs toward the trolley'wire are initially f cylindrical surfaces substan-f" tially in line with the corresponding partsot the Vsurface of the oblique holes 15, thus allowing theinsertion of the bentport-ion of the trolley wire withA ease. After the trolley wire is in place, the flangesr125are' crimped over the wire -as`"-indicated. in

the right hand partsof4 Figs. 1 and 2 and l Fig. 4. By this crimping process the lugs 20 are forced into-the posit-ionshown in Fig. 4, eftectually filling the open 'space at the under-curved part of the trolley wire. The, flanges 12 at the lugs 20 are bent to forni substantially a semi-cylindrical surface, as4

indicated in Fig.- 4, and Athis semi-cylindrical surfaceis in 'ali-nement. with the permanent semi-cylindrical surface 21 at the bottom of the central portion 10. Thus any pounding at the bends of the trolley wire is prevented. These semi-cylindrical are maintained permanently in alinement because the lugs 20 bear firmly against the surfaces of the trolleywirel j- To aid in the smoothness of the-lower sur` face of the' splice, the flanges 12` are preferably tapered slightly, depending farthest'.

at the ends toward the middle portion 10',

and then being just long enoughto meet they cooperating flanges when cramped around the trolley Wire. 1n consequence, the flanges whenbent over the trolley wir@ will have .an approximately tl-shape them, as indicated in the right hand part of Fig. 2. This 'groove 'causes the travelinggrtA ive between lilf trolley beneath the Wire to pass without pounding from the Wire tothe splice proper, sliding gradually along the edges of the flanges l2 to the semi-cylindrical lower part of the middle portion and thence along the edges of the flanges l2 of the other arm 1l to the Wire 14 beyond.

What I claim as new is:

1. A trolley lsplice comprising a middle port-ion and two oppositely projecting arms,

. each of said arms being provided with a pair ot' depending longitudinal4 flanges to form a Wire-receiving groove and the middle portion being provided with an opening which leads into each of said grooves, said flanges being tapered and depending farthest at their, ends toward the middle portion and there depending sufticiently so that they wire-receiving groove and the middle poi*-A tion being provided with an openinguleading at ari angle into each of said grooves, and each of said flanges being provided at its end toward the middle portion with an inwardly project-ing lug which when the flange is crimped around the trolley Wire tits into the space formed by fthe curve of the trolley wire as it passes from the groove to the opening in the middle portion.

4. A trolley splice Vcomprising a middle portion and two oppositely projecting arms,

Y each of said arms being provided with a pair of longitudinal depending llanges to form a wire-receiving groove and the middle portion being provided with an opening leading at an angle into each of said grooves, and each of said flanges being provided at its end toward the middle portion' with an inwardly projecting lug which When the ange crimped around the trolley wire titsl against the curved portion ofv the trolley wire where it passes from said groove into said opening, and,` supports the crimped flanges so that their trolley-engaging surfaces are in substantially smooth alinement with the trolley-engaging surfaceof the middie portion.

5. A trolley splice comprising a middle portion and two oppositely projecting arms,

each ot said arms being provided with a pair of longitudinal depending lianges to form a wire-receiving groove andthe middle portion being provided with an opening leading at an angle into each of said grooves, and cachot said Aflanges being provided at .its end toward the middle portion with an inwardly projecting lug, the inner surfaces of said lugs-being curved and in substantial alinement with the sides of the correspond ing openings in the middle portion before the flanges arecrimped around the trolley wire.

. 6. A trolley' splice comprising a middle portion and two oppositely projecting arms, each of said arms being provided with a pair ol longitudinal depending flanges to form a wire-receiving groove and the middle portion being provided with an opening leading at an angle into each of said grooves, and

mv hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana,

this eighteenth day of April, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twelve.

EDWARD HEYDON. [L a] lVitnesses:

Gr. B. SCHLEY, JosErHINn GASPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for Washington, D. C. 

